Undergraduate 2013

A place to inspire you / An approach to challenge you


Hispanic Studies

Key facts
Start year: 2013
Location: Canterbury
Award/s: BA (Hons)
Type: Full-time and part-time
Options: Year abroad

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world - outside Spain it is the official language of all countries in South and Central America except Brazil, and is widespread in many parts of North America. The programme at Kent gives you the opportunity to explore the languages and cultures of Spain and Spanish America while developing your language skills. You can study Hispanic Studies at Kent whether you have an A level or GCSE in Spanish, or whether you are a beginner.

The programme offers some unique features. You have the opportunity to spend your year abroad in Uruguay or in Peru (as well as our exchange programmes with Spain), and our advanced language module in Stage 2 focuses on translation and interpreting - important skills when you look for a job. Another peninsula language, be it Catalan or Portuguese, is compulsory for single honours and optional for joint honours students. Facilities include multimedia laboratories, which offer a variety of interactive language learning programmes and dictionaries, and access to a wide range of TV satellite channels and audio, video and computer-assisted language learning facilities.

Modules

Stage 1

You take two core modules, including a language module appropriate for your level.

Core modules
  • Introduction to Hispanic Culture

Plus

  • Learning Spanish 1: Intensive Beginners

Or

  • Learning Spanish 3A: Post A Level
Options

You also choose one or two modules from the following (all taught in translation):

  • The Modern Spanish Novel
  • The Modern Spanish-American Short Story
  • Modern Spanish Theatre
  • State Building in Latin America.

Joint honours students also take the required modules for their other subject.

Stage 2

In Stages 2 and 3, language modules continue to develop your skills and you have regular sessions with native speakers of Spanish.

Core modules
  • Learning Spanish 4

Or

  • Learning Spanish 3B

Plus (single honours only)

  • Catalan

Or

  • Catalan for University Use

Or

  • Portuguese
Options
  • Catalan Culture
  • Contemporary Spanish Cinema
  • The Legacy of Inequality: Race and Ethnicity in Latin America
  • Spanish Literature: Censorship
  • Spanish Literature: Identity
  • Voices of a Continent – 20th-Century Latin American Poets
  • Women in Spanish American Narrative and Film

Joint honours students also take the required modules for their other subject.

Stage 3

The final-year language class concentrates on translating and interpreting to help you perfect some of your language skills after your year abroad.

Core modules
  • Learning Spanish 5
Options
  • The Carnivalesque in Modern Spanish Theatre
  • Literature of Jorge Luis Borges
  • Reading Monstrosity in Iberian Culture
  • The Spanish Avant-Garde
  • Spanish Extended Essay
  • Spanish Literature: Sexuality
  • Terrorism and State Terror in Latin America
  • Writing the Cuban Revolution

Joint honours students also take the required modules for their other subject.

Year abroad

You spend a year either wholly or partly in Spain, or possibly in Latin America, between Stages 2 and 3. Normally you study at a Spanish university or work as a language assistant in a school. We have exchange agreements with universities in Barcelona, Zaragoza, Cordoba, Alicante, Madrid, Deusto (Bilbao) and Oviedo as well as with the University of Montevideo (Uruguay) and Universidad Catolica (Lima, Peru).

Teaching and assessment

All Spanish language modules involve three hours teaching each week, with the exception of the beginners' language modules at Stages 1 and 2 which involve four hours. They include small group seminars, conversation classes run by a native speaker, short lectures in Spanish, work in a language laboratory and work on computerassisted language learning materials. The culture and literature modules normally involve a one-hour lecture and a one-hour seminar each week.

Stage 1 is assessed by 100% coursework (essays, class participation) in some modules, and a 50:50 combination of coursework and examination in others. Stage 2/3: depending on the modules you select, assessment varies from 100% coursework (extended essays), to a combination of examination and coursework, in the ratio 60:40 or 80:20.

Entry requirements

Not sure? How about...
  • American Studies
  • European Studies
  • French
  • Italian

    • Offer levels

    Single honours: ABB at A level, IB Diploma 33 points inc 4 at HL or 5 at SL in a modern European language other than English, or IB Diploma with 16 points at Higher inc 4 at HL or 5 at SL in a modern European language other than English.

    Joint honours: ABB at A level, IB Diploma 33 points inc 4 at HL or 5 at SL in a modern European language other than English, or IB Diploma with 16 points at Higher inc 4 at HL or 5 at SL in a modern European language other than English.

    Required subjects

    Beginners' level: some aptitude for modern languages.

    Advanced level: A level Spanish grade B where taken.

    Careers

    The ability to speak another European language is a key asset in the global employment market, and many employers view a graduate with overseas study experience as more employable.

    Recent graduates have gone into teaching, translating and interpreting, marketing, journalism, publishing, and other areas. Many language graduates begin their career abroad.

    For more information on the services Kent provides to improve your employment prospects, go to www.kent.ac.uk/employability

    Further information

    Student profile

    Subject leaflet (pdf)

    School:

    Enquiries:

    T: +44 (0)1227 827272

    E: information@kent.ac.uk

    Publishing Office - © University of Kent

    The University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NZ, T: +44 (0)1227 764000

    Last Updated: 08/11/2011